The present invention relates to head protecting equipment and more particularly to an apparatus for absorbing a part of the total energy that would be imparted to the wearer's head by a particular impact with another person or object.
Injuries to athletes who participate in contact sports such as football are statistically on the increase. Numerous articles have recently appeared in sports publications discussing this increase in sports-related injuries, and many of these articles have expressed concern for the number of injuries related to the sport of football. While considerable protective equipment is already worn by athletes participating in the sport of football, it has been observed that while this protective equipment protects the wearer, it may also be used by the player to inflict injury on other players. Further, even when wearing the protective equipment presently available, the energy imparted to this equipment is transmitted to the body which is therefore subject to injury. These conditions usually occur as results of a player's head coming into contact with the body of another player. These types of forces to the player's head can occur anytime during the course of an athletic event; however, head injuries frequently occur when two players are mismatched and a stronger, bigger player is able to impart injury to the head of a smaller player as in blocking and tackling.
Football players typically wear protective head equipment or a helmet to protect the head. Such a helmet generally transmits, rather than absorbing energy, imparted by one player to another. Players also typically wear protective shoulder equipment to protect their shoulders and chest. This equipment also does not limit injury that may occur to the head and body of the players. Padding has been proposed to protect the player's head in response to forces applied to the front or top of the head, however, most of this equipment is directed to protecting the head from an external force rather than absorbing a part or all of these impact forces.